NBC political director Chuck Todd detects "a tenseness" and "no chemistry" between John McCain and Sarah Palin in this joint interview with Brian Williams: "And you can tell they know that they're losing," Todd adds. Judge for yourself: the first part, above, was broadcast last night. (Palin joins in at about 3m30s, rather foolhardily questioning Obama's experience, and the two interact more after about 5m50s.)

Neither McCain nor Obama fit traditional models of the hawk or the dove when it comes to their beliefs about the uses of American power: 'Some of their views appear as messy and unpredictable as the troubles one of them will inherit." (Take Iran: Obama would sit down and talk, but it's McCain who has the more easygoing view of Iranian uranium enrichment.) A meaty NYT policy piece. [New York Times]

The fact that Sarah Palin needed the Republicans to spend $150,000 on clothes for her and her family only goes to show that she is an average Hockey Sixpack Mom Joe Outsider American: if she was a Washington veteran she'd already have a wardrobe like that. Besides, Obama's suits cost upwards of $1,500. [The Corner]

Never mind 2008: get ready for Palin 2012! "Sarah's the one," said one leading conservative who is convinced Mr McCain will lose this election. "The party is broken and only she can fix it. We need someone who comes from outside Washington and relates to the aspirations of ordinary Americans." Calm down and loosen your tie, Bill "one leading conservative" Kristol! [Telegraph]

The seven biggest mistakes the pundits made during this election. [Salon]

Displaying a Confederate flag in your home doesn't mean you won't be voting for Obama. But there have been scattered incidents reflecting "a deep residue of racism among some segments of white America."

Oliver Stone, Bob Woodward, Ron Suskind and Jacob Weisberg discuss the legacy of their old pal George Bush in a Slate roundtable. [Slate]